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Pilgrimage to Rome and Beyond

Three years ago, as staff stood at the front door to Cherrington about to process into the Senior Prize-giving, Archbishop David Moxon said to Dio Chaplain Rev Jill: "It would be a good thing to bring some Dio gals to Rome in the future and we can have a look around."

At the time, Emeritus Archbishop Sir David Moxon had just been appointed as the Archbishop of Canterbury Representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome.

Fast forward three years, and today 20 students and three teachers departed Dio for their 'Pilgrimage to Rome and Beyond'. A pilgrimage is an intentional journey to visit a site of religious significance in order to reflect on or encourage spiritual belief on behalf of the pilgrim. The group will visit Rome, Assisi, Florence, London, Oxford and Canterbury as part of their Religious Studies adventure.

One of the highlights of the trip will be spending time with Sir David Moxon, and the opportunity for teaching, Eucharist and prayer. He will then accompany the group to Assisi, the birthplace of St Francis of Assisi.

Another highlight will be a visit to Canterbury to St Thomas’ shrine in Canterbury Cathedral, where the pilgrims will learn about the battle between the Church and State in the early 11th century. Thomas was then Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.